Frog

How to do it

1. Kneel on a padded surface, sit lightly toward the heels and place the hands on the floor in front of the knees.
2. Open both knees gradually to a comfortable range while keeping pressure distributed through the hands, knees and lower legs.
3. Hold without forcing the knees farther apart, then bring them together slowly.

Form cues

• Use padding under the knees and ankles.
• Do not sit heavily on painful feet or ankles.
• Stop for inner-knee, groin or ankle pain.

Why this exercise helps

The Frog stretch targets the hip adductors—inner-thigh muscles that can pull the femurs inward and limit hip-abduction range. When adductors are chronically shortened, they can restrict comfortable squat depth, narrow hip mobility in daily movement, and place extra load on surrounding structures. By distributing weight across the hands, knees, and lower legs, the position lets gravity create a slow, passive stretch without muscle effort. Holding near a comfortable end-range and releasing gradually respects tissue tolerance better than forcing the knees further apart. Padding the knees and ankles protects the pressure points in this position.

Stop or modify if

• Dropping the pelvis suddenly to force the knees wider. Move only to a comfortable range and let the position settle gradually rather than pushing into discomfort.
• Skipping knee and ankle padding. Pressure through unprotected joints on a hard floor is distracting and masks the intended inner-thigh sensation.
• Holding the breath or bracing the torso. Breathing evenly allows the adductors to relax into the stretch rather than reflexively resisting it.

Modifications and progressions

• Place a folded blanket or extra yoga mat under the knees and ankles for cushioning if the joints feel uncomfortable on the floor.
• Start with a narrower knee width and hold for fewer seconds, then gradually increase both as the inner thighs become more comfortable.

Muscles worked

Stretches: hip adductors, tibialis anterior

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